Montreal airport REM station still expected in 2027, ADM says

Despite delays to the Réseau express métropolitain (REM), the head of ADM Aéroports de Montréal still expects the station at Montréal-Trudeau Airport to be delivered by 2027.

Its president and CEO, Yves Beauchamp, reiterated this objective during a speech Monday before the Cercle canadien de Montréal.

By 2027, CDPQ Infra will have had the opportunity to find solutions to the technical glitches encountered by the light rail system, the CEO added in an interview alongside his speech.

“It’s clear that the difficulties we’ve had since the beginning, all these difficulties, represent solutions that they (CDPQ Infra) are implementing,” he said in an interview. “I think that, by the time we get back to our normal stage, many of these difficulties will have been resolved.”

CDPQ Infra has postponed the commissioning of the line to Anse-à-l’Orme in Montreal’s west end until spring 2026.

The segment was initially scheduled to enter service at the end of 2024, but the deadline was pushed back once to fall 2025.

The REM’s timelines have been delayed several times, and outages on the Brossard branch since it was commissioned have been criticized.

These postponements have no impact on the progress of work on the line to Montreal-Trudeau Airport, Beauchamp said in an interview.

“It has no impact because the line that runs under the runways, including the tunnel, is already installed,” he assured.

“We’re currently installing the tracks inside the station. And our plans are to deliver the station in 2027. And (CDPQ Infra), at that time, will have to carry out tests to be able to deliver the station.”

Construction sites a source of irritation

The arrival of the REM should ease some of the pressure on airport facilities. Beauchamp expects a quarter of passengers to use the light rail. “It will really improve service,” said Beauchamp. “That’s clear.”

Until then, passengers will have to be patient. ADM is carrying out numerous construction projects that are disrupting the flow of travel to Montréal-Trudeau Airport, located in Dorval in the West Island of Montreal. The non-profit organization plans to invest nearly $10 billion in its facilities over the next 10 years.

Beauchamp acknowledged that the situation is not easy for passengers during his presentation.

“Getting to YUL (Montreal-Trudeau Airport) by 2027-2028 will require patience, concentration, and observation,” he said during his speech, which drew laughter from the audience.

He also announced the closure of the multi-storey parking garage and parking lot P5, located in front of the terminal, as of Oct. 15. The audience seemed to hold their breath at the announcement.

The multi-storey parking garage, which had reached the end of its useful life, will be demolished, resulting in the loss of “nearly 5,000 nearby spaces.” “New surface parking lots will largely compensate for the lost spaces,” the CEO assured.

Beauchamp wants to encourage passengers to make greater use of the more distant parking lots and the shuttle service. “This summer, we were between 150 and sometimes 200 users per day, while the capacity is 700 per hour,” he emphasized. “So we understand that it’s a well-kept secret.”

In an interview, the executive discussed other solutions to improve access flow at Montréal-Trudeau.

ADM is looking at various measures deployed at international airports to ease congestion in their facilities.

“In other airports around the world, there are locations where the terminal is only accessible to business travellers,” he gave as an example. “In some airports, like London’s Heathrow, for example, there is a fee when you arrive at the main landing area.

“Are these things we’ll want to implement? They’re part of our options, and we have to assess the consequences,” he added.

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews